The Games We Play
by CPDSVU
Summary: Jay and Hailey are married...well, at least in terms of their undercover op, they are. The two of them go under to track a con artist couple that have run off to Vegas. But when they get closer than either of them expected, can they stay ahead of their targets? First multi-chapter Upstead fic – rated T for now, but may change later. Hope ya'll like it!
1. Getting There

Hailey shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She remembered why she hated flying: too many people cramped into one small space. She looked over at Jay, who was sleeping peacefully in the seat next to hers. _Typical_. He could make the best of any situation. Hailey could sometimes be a bit of a pessimist; she once told the team at Molly's it was because she was Greek, so they see tragedy in everything. She sighed, wishing she could be as cool, calm, and collected as her partner. Course, he had his moments too. But lately, they had gotten back to their normal, working relationship, but certain times, things felt, charged. Like there was an intense energy in the room, and their eyes were only for each other. Like with the Aiden case, or when they had one of their famous beer-laiden talks after Hailey ended things with Adam after arguing yet again over a case. In those moments, Hailey wasn't sure what the hell was going on. _And now we're on a plane to Nevada together_. Hailey smirked to herself. _Go figure_.

It wasn't like she planned this, it actually wasn't even her idea. It was Jay who had volunteered, and so Voight assumed the duo would go together. All they knew was that there needed to be two officers going under, and that they were going to have to go to Nevada to follow their target, Trevor Mills. Trevor and his girlfriend, Stacey were targeting other young couples in what appeared at first to be simple con artist schemes. That was until one couple ended up dead in Atlanta after a gambling night gone wrong. Trevor and Stacey were running, and what better place for con artists to run than to Vegas? Adam and Kevin were tracking their financials, and Trevor and Stacy bought two plane tickets one way to Las Vegas, Nevada yesterday morning. Their flight was scheduled to depart the next day, so Jay and Hailey were out on a flight too, so they could stakeout the airport to confirm their arrival.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the intercom. "Attention passengers, we are about 10 minutes out from the Vegas Nevada Airport. Please buckle up so we can begin our descend. And welcome to Nevada, we hope you enjoy your time here."

Hailey nudged Jay's shoulder, startling him slightly. "Hm, what?" His eyes were wide, and he looked around the plane quickly.

Hailey laughed. "Hey, just me. We gotta buckle up, we'll be there in 10." She watched as Jay ran a hand over his face, trying to wake himself up. "Sleep well?" She asked him, leaning in.

Jay's eyes flickered to hers. "Eh, sort of. Did you get any? 3 hours flew by...no pun intended."

Hailey shook her head. "Nah, I didn't. But I got some good reading in." She smirked, handing him his own UC file. Jay's brows rose in surprise, then a groan of frustration was heard from his mouth. "Ugh, no...not now. Hailey, can't you just, I don't know, fill me in later?"

Hailey looked at him like he had two heads. "Oh please, Halstead. Just give it a quick once over, will ya? We can go over it when we're at our hotel, okay?"

Jay grinned at her. He knew she only used his last name when she was trying to be mad at him, but it always came across as sassy attitude. And he never minded it, not one bit. He shook his head, but reluctantly took the file from her.

Before they knew it, they had landed at the Nevada airport. When they got off the plane, they quickly went to grab their suitcases. Once they had their luggage, they went over to the common waiting area by their gate. Jay made the call to Voight.

"Hey, we're here. Do you have their arrival info?"

"Yeah. Gate 1A, should be 5 mins."

"Got it, thanks." He hung up and turned to his partner. "Across the way" he said, craning his head towards the first gate. Hailey followed his eyeline, nodding when she understood.

They sat tight for a few minutes until they saw the first few passengers getting off. Hailey pulled up the mugshots from her phone and showed them to Jay. "Got it?" She asked. He nodded. "Got it."

They stood up, and shuffled towards the first gate. When they were a couple feet away from the arrival gate, they spotted their targets. Jay radioed it back to the team. "They're here. Both Trevor and Stacey." Trevor had on dark shades and a baseball cap, and Stacey was wearing a few thin layers of clothing with her hair in her face. So much for looking inconspicuous. They seemed to be in a hurry, pushing past people in the baggage claim, and practically running out the door to the taxi service. Jay and Hailey quickly grabbed their rental car and moved out, tailing them until a truck cut them off and they lost them on the highway.

"Dammit!" Jay yelled, banging his hands against the wheel in frustration.

Hailey fixed her eyes on him, before calmly stating, "Hey, we have their phones tracked, remember? We'll get a location once they stop."

Jay sighed, still seething. "I know, I know, this is just not how I wanted our first day out here to go."

Hailey touched his shoulder. "I know." She quickly turned around and reached down into the side pocket of her seat. She grinned as she pulled out the files for Jay to look at.

He rolled his eyes. "Oh come on, Hailey. _Really_? _Now_?"

She chuckled. "Yeah, _now_. We're pulled off here, and we still have to get back to the hotel. Besides, if I take the wheel, then you have no excuse. Because unlike you, I actually _read_ my file."

He rolled his eyes, but begrudgingly agreed. They switched seats, Hailey driving the rest of the way back to their hotel, and Jay ever so often reviewing the information in their files.

* * *

"So.." he said, looking over at her. "Where'd we meet?"

"Ummm..." Hailey said, turning a corner onto the main road. "We met at a bar, and you asked me out on a dare, but then we hit it off."

Jay nodded, flipping the page. "And what are we doing now?"

"Happily married for 2 years. No kids now, still settling into our careers, right? You're a...oh God, what the hell job did they give you again? I know I'm a middle school teacher in Chitown Heights, but what in the world is..." She peeked over at his file at the stoplight. "Jake Harris doing?"

Jay grinned. "Oh come on, _Heather_, you should know this!" Hailey swatted his arm from her side. That only made him laugh more. She groaned. "Okay, fine, just tell me."

"I'm a branch manager at Linden Credit, for the Chicago division."

"Oh okay, like you're real special..." she said, jokingly. "I bet you're real proud of yourself, aren't you?" She said, quickly glancing at him before switching lanes to get off at their exit. "The hotel's just down here."

Jay fired off a couple more questions at her while she finished the drive over. _He popped the question after 2 years together. So 4 years of bliss, or whatever married people are supposed to say. They have a dog named Sonic, and they just bought their first home together. They're in Vegas for a credit convention, plus they needed to 'let loose' since they've both been working so hard lately._

"Okay, okay, y'know, you were right. Let's just put these files away for now, yeah?" Hailey said, not even trying to hide the desperation in her voice. She was so over talking about their fake married life. Each time another factoid was told, her heart ached a little bit. It was too tricky, dealing with a fake relationship when her real one had just ended. It'd only been a month since her and Adam were over, but it didn't make sorting out these new, weird feelings swirling around for her partner any easier. She had finally admitted it to herself after Jay had left her place the night after she had ended it with Adam. He had talked her down, she was all over the place. She was just so frustrated by his (Adam's) lack of trust in her...he kept circling around to 'her questioning his loyalties' when really she just wanted him to remember he had to worry about himself too. She couldn't be a part of his life if all he cared about was the team or the job. Because then that meant that he no longer cared about _her_. And she needed someone that cared just as much as she did, about everything. And so when Jay managed to say exactly what she was thinking that night, it clicked. _He_ was that person for her. And she was pretty sure he'd always been; she had just been too blind to see it.

"Yoohoo, Hailey? You wanna head inside now?" Jay asked, waving a hand in front of her face. She snapped out of it. "Hm? Oh yes, sorry. Let's go."

They grabbed their minimal luggage and made their way inside. They were staying at the Bellagio on the famous Vegas strip. "Damn, they really went all out this time." Jay said, taking in their new digs for the next few days.

Hailey's wide-eyed expression mirrored his statement. He checked them in and they made their way upstairs to their suite. She was in a daze the whole way up; even the windowed elevator was amazing. They could see out to the private casino, the restaurant, the whole strip was their backdrop. It was insane. When they opened the door up to their room, her jaw dropped. "Oh my God, the freaking lounge space is bigger than like, my entire apartment!"

Jay laughed, grabbing their bags and setting them inside by the door. "Yeah, it really is awesome. I'm gonna check out the balcony, you wanna come too or...?" When he turned around to look for Hailey, she had disappeared from sight. His brow furrowed in confusion, until he heard another exclamation.

"Would you LOOK at this?!" Hailey said, arms opened up in their master bathroom. We each have a shower, and our own sinks! And oh my God, that tub has jets. Jay..._jets_."

"Okay, I'm gonna give you a moment." Jay said, starting to walk away, but Hailey pulled him back in after she heard him laugh.

"Psh, whatever man. My shower's hot water only works like half the time, so this is insane to me."

Jay nodded, trying very hard _not_ to picture his partner in that very scenario right now. He knew things had been different between them lately. He saw it with the case with Aiden, and he finally knew it after their talk at Hailey's place after she had ended things with Adam. When Jay was telling her how good of a cop she was and how Adam not trusting her anymore was the craziest thing he'd ever heard, she took his hand and hugged him, tearing up a little during her "Thank You" to him. And he knew right then that he never wanted that moment to end. He always wanted to be the person that would cheer her up, and cheer her on; not drag her down or hurt her in any way. He just couldn't completely tell if she was feeling the same way he was. So when he volunteered for the undercover assignment, he had crossed his fingers that Hailey would be his other half in the operation. Thank god luck was on his side that day, because now here they were.

"Jay...yo, Halstead! Come here, you haven't even seen the master bedroom yet!" Hailey yelled from the hall. Jay bounded across the bathroom and made his way down the tiny corridor into their luxe bedroom. Four poster bed, chaise lounger, double nightstands, two chairs, a full length mirror, and a freaking chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

"Holy shit." He said, in awe of the space. The red walls were dark, yet inviting, the velvet curtains and plush carpet made it that much more five-star. Everything was draped in gold, or at the very least, accented with it, in true Vegas fashion, Jay assumed.

"See, told ya." Hailey said, coming up to stand beside him. "So, what's on our agenda first?" She asked, turning to grab her suitcase from the living area. Jay followed her out, filling her in on the night's plan. They were to get changed, and go scope out the private casino first. Intelligence had chosen this specific hotel because they knew the casino was a popular spot for young couples to go and gamble. They also knew that Trevor and Stacey had hit it up every time they had been by.

"So, do you have our gear?" She asked him, pulling out a change of clothes for the stakeout.

Jay gave her a thumbs up, grabbing their survelliance equipment from his suitcase. They both got changed and headed downstairs to the casino for night one of their operation.


	2. Late Night, Early Morning

When they got inside the casino, they immediately went to work. Jay planted himself at a blackjack table, while Hailey went over by craps. They didn't have to wait long for Trevor and Stacey to arrive. The couple headed straight for the slot machines, raking in cash like it was their job. They then made their way over to the tables for some gambling.

"You seeing this?" Hailey asked Jay over his mic.

"Yeah, I see 'em." he whispered back.

Hailey eyed Stacey and Trevor as they made their way over to Jay's table. She watched as Stacey sat down and doled out cash for her bet. Trevor was handed out the money like it was candy. Hailey rolled her eyes. She couldn't believe how obvious they were being. Like they knew they couldn't get caught. Well, that was about to change.

She got up, walking over to the table. Jay didn't notice her move until she snuck up behind him. "Hey," she said, sitting down next to him. "How's it going?" Jay eyed her suspiciously. He watched as Hailey's brows raised, wanting him to play along.

"Hey, yeah, uh…I'm doing okay. Not great though thanks to these two…" He said, motioning over to Stacey and Trevor, who were seated across the way. He said it just loud enough for their ears to perk up.

Hailey laughed a little too loud, putting her arm around Jay before turning to Trevor and Stacey. "I hear you guys are running my husband out of money…" she said, tossing her hair casually over her shoulder. When she made that motion, Jay noticed her hair was blonder than normal. _Did she dye it recently?_

He was interrupted by Trevor's voice. "Maybe he needs a lesson in blackjack then." He said, taking his second round of earnings. Stacey laughed, mimicking Hailey's motion, wrapping her arm around Trevor.

Jay shrugged. "Maybe so. You know someone?"

Trevor smirked. "How 'bout you two come by our place in Downtown Vegas. The alley behind the Clarkson Tower…#105. Midnight tomorrow." Trevor gave them both a nod, got up from the table, and walked away with Stacey in tow.

Once they were out of sight, Jay turned to Hailey. "Well, that was easier than I thought." His eyes glanced down, still noticing her arm around his shoulders.

Hailey noticed too, and removed it quickly, trying to hide the blush that crept onto her cheeks.

"Sorry." She said, looking down at her feet.

Jay looked down at her. "It's fine. You wanna head back up so we can get some shut eye before tomorrow?"

Hailey nodded. "Sounds good."

* * *

The morning sun shined brightly through the open curtains, signaling a new day. Hailey rolled over to get the sun out of her eyes, and in doing so, elbowed Jay. _Shit_. _Right. They're married, so same bed_. _God, why was this a good idea again?_ Hailey bit her tongue, thinking back to last night. They were both so tired, they had practically collapsed after watching a movie. Well, Hailey did. She didn't remember making it to bed though. The last thing she remembered was leaning back on the comfy lounger, her head resting on the arm, her feet accidentally poking Jay.

She was brought back to reality when Jay groaned, meaning he had felt the elbow to his back. Hailey sighed. _Dammit_. She turned her head to look at him, finding his green eyes locked onto her blue ones. "Well hi there." He said, chuckling. "What, couldn't wake me up normally?"

She rolled her eyes, but a small smile played on her lips. "Pshh, whatever." She paused, trying not to notice how good he looked, even with bedhead and a gray muscle tank. She took inventory of her own appearance, noting her black camisole and shorts, along with her ponytail coming loose. _Okay, not bad, but not terrible either. _She wrestled her hair free of the elastic and propped herself up on her elbow. "Seriously didn't mean to hit you. The sun was in my face, so my bad."

Jay sat up in bed, looking over at her whilst rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "It's cool, don't worry about it. You sleep okay?"

Hailey looked back at him. "Yeah, about that. How'd I get back in here from the couch? What, did I sleepwalk or something?"

Jay smiled, shaking his head. "No, I carried you back here. You were like, passed out cold. There was no waking you."

Hailey forced her expression to remain neutral. "Oh. Thanks." She sat up now too, avoiding his gaze. _Right. He had asked me if I slept well_. _Answer, Hailey!_ "And yes, I slept just fine. How about you?"

Jay nodded. He got up out of bed, and Hailey followed him out to the living room and kitchenette area. She grabbed a bottle of water from the bar counter, and Jay grabbed some coffee from the cabinet and put on a pot.

While they waited for it to brew, Jay sat down on the barstool next to his partner. "You ready for tonight?"

Hailey glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "Yeah. I mean, how ready can you be to go play some poker in a dingy downtown basement?"

Jay nodded, sliding a mug down to her. "True. So, you wanna just do hidden mics, or do you wanna go old school with the phones?"

Hailey looked up in thought. "Um, huh. Good question. I'm thinking phones, but I really think we'll be okay. I looked up the 105 last night and it's a small breakroom for the maintenance workers of the Clarkson, just below it. It's not very big, a couple rooms and a bathroom down a tiny hall off the main one. Plus, we'll be together the whole time, so I'm sure we'll be solid."

Jay agreed. "Alright, well, let's go check out the location before the daylight runs out. Then we can come back, get changed, and go."

Hailey nodded, getting up to grab the coffee. "Looks like it's gonna be a two cup kind of morning. You doing double?"

Jay nodded, thanking her for the suggestion.


	3. A Dangerous Hand

"Hailey? Are you almost ready?" Jay called to her from the bathroom. He had forgotten to shave before getting dressed, and didn't account for using slippery soap instead of shaving cream. The liquid ran down his shirt collar before he could give it a second thought.

"I need to grab a different shirt." He tried, unbuttoning the last button of the tarnished shirt.

He thought he heard her rummaging through something out in the bedroom, so he figured it'd be okay for him to slowly crack open the door. He saw that she was clothed, he just didn't know in what exactly until he opened the door all the way. She whirled around at the sound, letting go of her hair that she held up in her hand. Jay watched as her blonde hair cascaded around her shoulders, her usual messy waves looking way more structured.

"Sorry." He said, still standing in the doorway of the bathroom. He thought he saw Hailey's expression go from surprise to an attempt at normalcy, but he brushed it off. He was probably just imagining it.

"I was..I was just getting a clip to pin my hair back. Sorry, I didn't hear you when I was going through the drawer."

Jay had to blink several times to make sure his eyes stay trained on her face, as opposed to the gorgeous dress she had on. "That's okay. I just need to grab another shirt."

He maneuvered himself around her, his shirt falling open as he moved in front of her, his back to the dresser. He felt her hand brush against his bare shoulder as she went back to the position she was on with her hair.

Hailey finished pinning the top half back, and stealthily looked over her shoulder to see Jay buttoning up a grey shirt. _Screw your head on straight Hailey. You can't be ogling your partner right now!_ She sighed, fastening the last bobby pin in securely. She turned around to find Jay fully clothed again.

"Okay, now I'm ready. I swear. You good?" She asked him as she grabbed her purse.

"Yeah. Let's go."

* * *

When their Uber dropped them off, it was nearly midnight. Jay helped Hailey out of the car, taking her hand in his. As she got out, she looked up to see an unusually starry night in Vegas. "Wow." She breathed, taking it in. Jay must have heard her, because he too looked up.

"Yeah, it's really nice out tonight. Too bad we have to be stuck inside with alcohol and cards."

Hailey nodded. Jay leaned in, and whispered in her ear. "By the way, the only wow I'll say is to you in that dress."

Hailey felt a familiar heat make its way onto her cheeks. She smiled, telling him thank you. She hadn't worn the navy dress with black florals since her academy graduation. "You look real good tonight too, Jay." She nudged him playfully.

Just as they stepped into the entryway, they were greeted by Trevor and Stacey. "Hey guys, you made it! Welcome to our game station….let's go party."

Hailey and Jay looked at each other. Trevor and Stacey filled in the blanks. "Oh right, sorry. Our bad, we never introduced ourselves! I'm Trevor, this is my girlfriend, Stacey."

Hailey and Jay nodded. Jay spoke first. "I'm Jake, and this is my wife, Heather."

Trevor and Stacey nodded, shaking hands with them. "Nice to officially meet you guys. Let's get you started then, yeah? The night is still young…" they said, smiling.

Hailey and Jay tried to mimic their enthusiasm. They followed Trevor and Stacey over to the main arena where a few other couples had gathered around the card table. A frenzied game of poker was going on, and drinks were being poured at the counter across the room.

"You want in? I'll get you in next round." Trevor offered, looking at Jay.

Jay shrugged, acting nonchalant. "Yeah man, sounds good."

Hailey nodded at him, letting him sit down at the table while she stood behind him, watching for a minute as he got settled.

She watched Stacey go over to the bar and bring back a few drinks. "Libations, everyone." She passed around a drink to her boyfriend, then Jay, and finally Hailey. Trevor nodded, motioning for everyone to cheers. They clinked glasses, and while that happened, Jay noticed the split-second glance Trevor gave his girlfriend. What were they up to? Were they seriously going to try something with them tonight? Jay felt his body stiffen, going into cop mode.

He tapped Hailey's shoulder. She shifted her weight a bit, leaning backward so she could hear him. "Hm?"

"Watch my six."

"Always."

* * *

The cheers moment passed, and the group separated slightly. Trevor helped Jay get set up at the table, while his girlfriend Stacey joined in the next hand too. Hailey walked over to the side of the table so she could more clearly see Stacey's hands. All her cards shifted at the same time as everyone else's, so it didn't appear she was bluffing. She caught Jay's eye once, and she shook her head. _They went from being obvious at the casino to being sneaky at their own place? Didn't make sense_.

Hailey saw Trevor come stand by her out of the corner of her eye. "Hi" she said coolly.

Trevor gave her a nod. "Jake's doing good over there. I think my tips are helping." He said proudly.

Hailey nodded, giving him a small smile. "That's good. Thanks for that."

Trevor smirked. "No problem."

Hailey was going to go over to see if Jay had anything, but when she went to move, she felt a little dizzy. She set down her refill of whiskey on a random table and asked Trevor where the bathroom was. She probably just needed to splash some water on her face. Besides, Jay didn't look to be feeling anything, so if they were to try something, they would have been stupid not to take down both of them at once, right?

"The bathroom's down the hall. You alright?" Trevor asked, looking Hailey up and down. Hailey started to nod, but tripped over her heels as she took her first step away from him. "Woah, okay. Heather, here, come on. Let me help you down the hall."

Hailey finished her nod, giving Jay one last glance before letting Trevor lead her down the hall. Everything was fine until Hailey realized they had passed the halfway opened door to the completely vacant restroom. "Trev–" that was all she could get out before his hand was over her mouth.

"Mmm!" She tried to scream, but his hand pressed down harder on her mouth. In a second, he had dragged her inside another room and pushed her against the wall.

"Now the games can really begin…" he sneered, holding her wrists with his free hand. Hailey kicked at him, but her limbs felt like jello. _Shit_. She had definitely been given something.

She bit his hand, and he slapped her. She tasted the metallic twinge of blood as it ran down her lip. His arm was now pressed against her throat, strangling her second cry for help.

She clawed at his face, but he wouldn't let up. He spun her around and pinned her down to the bed. She heard the music pumping through the walls, and knew her pleas were being drowned out. _Come on, Jay_.

She pushed at his chest, but all his weight was pressed down on her torso. His free hand snaked under her dress, forcing her legs apart. "Ja –" she tried one last time, praying her partner would somehow save her before things got way worse.

* * *

Outside, Jay was still the midst of his current hand. He grabbed his drink, realizing he was almost out. He was wondering if Hailey had gone to get anything more to drink, so he turned to look for her. When he didn't see her, he swiveled around in his chair to scan the room. He noticed Stacey was still next to him, concentrating on her own cards.

"Hey, Stacey. Have you seen my wife anywhere?"

Stacey's eyes curtly flicked towards his and she shook her head no. Jay was going to ask again, but he couldn't think straight with the music blaring in the background. _Who had turned it up?_ That question was enough to make him suspicious.

He got up from the table, told the table he was out. There was only the one hallway, so he bounded down, looking for any closed doors. He saw the end one on the right. _Son of a bitch_.

He broke it down, to find Trevor with his hands all over Hailey. Her dress was pulled down and Trevor was on top of her.

"Trevor! Get the hell off of her!"

When he didn't flinch, Jay saw red. He reacted, grabbing Trevor off of Hailey and throwing him to the ground. Punch after punch was thrown at his face until blood stained the carpet.

"Ja–" Hailey started to scream, but then stopped before she made an error. "Hey! Hey! Jake! Stop! Stop!"

She grabbed at her partner, begging him to stop. Jay finally brought his arm down, looking up at Hailey. He saw her lip was bleeding, and went over to her.

"God, Ha.." he started, noticing her wide eyes. _Right_. _Cover._ "Heather…" he said, palming her face to look at her lip. Their eyes caught again for a brief second, both looking away at the touchy subject of Hailey pulling up the straps of her dress over her bra.

"Let's get you out of here." He said, helping her up and out of the room. He heard Trevor cough as he threw the door closed. The music was still blaring, and the party was still going when they rounded the corner to the door. Jay leaned Hailey up against him while he reached into his pocket for his ringing cell.

They took a few more steps down the alleyway before he answered it. "Halstead."

Jay immediately recognized Voight's gruff voice on the other end of the line. "Just checking in. We notified the couple's families today. You guys got anything?"

"Um, yeah. Sarge, he uh– Trevor, he…" Jay couldn't even finish the sentence, he was so angry. Trevor was lucky he was still breathing when they left.

On his side, he heard Hailey sigh. "Sarge, let me call you right back. Something just jumped off."

* * *

He quickly hung up the phone, but dialed up a taxi to get them back to their hotel. Jay had wanted to get Hailey to a hospital, but she vehemently urged him not to, insisting she was fine. He only agreed if she'd let him talk to her when they got back.

Once they returned, he helped her up to their room, telling her to sit on the lounger. He grabbed their emergency kit out of his suitcase and took another look at her face.

"My god, Hailey…" he tried again. He was so frustrated that he couldn't have helped her right then…not only with her lip, but with the whole incident. "This is all my fault."

Hailey grabbed his hand. "Hey, Jay…no! You know that's not true, please don't say that!" Her voice cracked, hating seeing him so upset. It wasn't his fault, it wasn't anyone's fault but Trevor's. That heartless prick.

"Hailey…did he" he couldn't even say the word 'rape' out loud. He would actually kill Trevor if she said yes.

She looked right in his eyes. "No. No, he didn't…he didn't do anything. You stopped him. You saved me. So thank you."

He saw her usually bright blue eyes brim with tears. "Hailey, I..I'm so sorry this happened. I should've had your back. I shouldn't have let you out of my sight. You said you'd watch my six, but I didn't do the same for you. I don't blame you if you want to stop this right now. Hell, I don't even trust myself right now."

A tear escaped her eye, rolling down her cheek. "Jay, if I don't trust anyone, it's certainly never going to be you. I'm mad at myself. I should've seen it coming when I felt lightheaded. But I looked over to you and figured that if they were going to try something, they would've done something to you too. So it must have just been my drink that they drugged."

"Here," he said, grabbing her face again. "I gotta clean this up." He grabbed a washcloth and dabbed at the blood.

Hailey winced at the contact of the cool water on her warm skin. "Sorry," Jay said, stopping the movement.

Hailey shook her head. "No, it's okay. I know, let's just get it over with."

Jay gave her a small smile. "Alright." He had her hold the compress on her lip until the blood was gone.

He dabbed some Vaseline on it to keep it from completely splitting. "Can't exactly bandage it," he offered, closing up the kit.

Hailey softly smiled at him. "Right."

He wrapped her up in a side hug, and she leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Thank you for being here" she said, looking up at him.

Jay smiled at her. "I'm not going anywhere."


	4. Master Plan

Hailey woke up the next morning with Jay sleeping right next to her. She hugged him closer, not wanting to remember anything except for this moment. He stirred next to her, mumbling a "Morning."

"Hey." She said, looking up at him. "You okay?" She asked because she was genuinely concerned for him. She didn't want him killing Trevor or getting hurt or anything like that.

"Yeah, the more important question is, are _you_ okay?" He asked, wrapping his arms around her.

"Yeah, I promise. I am."

Jay looked down at her, squinting slightly. "Hailey, I swear, I'm not letting you go ever. Screw the undercover, I mean in real life too. We're partners, and last night cannot happen again."

Hailey nodded. "Yeah, you're right. I got you, you know that."

* * *

They eventually got up and got changed to scour the other known areas where Trevor and Stacey were known to frequent. Clubs, bars, stores, you name it, they checked it out. Before they knew it, the day had turned into night.

"Jayyyyyy" Hailey whined from the passenger seat of their rental car. "I'm staaarrrvinggggg." She said, dragging out the syllables.

Jay chuckled, looking over to find Hailey with her famous puppy dog pout. "How 'bout we kill two birds with one stone then? We've got one more place to hit up, and it happens to be a restaurant."

Hailey excitedly clapped her hands. "Oh thank God! Yes please, I'll go anywhere and eat anything!"

When they arrived at Solé, they noticed it was very popular amongst regulars and out of towners. Jay recognized a few other hotel-goers, while Hailey spotted another couple from last night.

She hadn't meant to make eye contact, but soon enough, the couple made their way over to their table. "Hi! It's…Jake and Heather, right? We met last night at the 105. I'm Lacey, and this is my husband Drew."

Jay and Hailey said their hellos. "So, what brings you guys over here?"

Lacey and Drew nodded. "We're actually meeting up with Trevor and Stacey. They come here for happy hour all the time."

Hailey's eyes widened but she sucked in a gulp of air to try and calm down. They hadn't actually spotted Trevor or Stacey at the other places, but did manage to talk to a few people that knew their business there. Jay noticed Hailey's visceral reaction, and tried to play it off.

"Oh really? Interesting. Well it was good seeing you both again, but my wife and I need to get back to our own dinner."

"Oh nonsense, why don't you join us?" Lacey's expression was super warm, almost desperate looking.

Jay was about ready to say no again, but Hailey relented before he got the chance. "Fine, sure. Um, I just have to talk to my husband for a second. We'll be right back."

Hailey swiftly grabbed Jay's hand and pulled him from their table. She pulled him towards the back of the joint, and sighed, dropping his hand. "I know what you're gonna say, but we need to do this." She seemed so calm, perhaps Jay had misread her earlier reaction.

Jay's eyes were wild. "What the– you can't be serious. Hailey, he–he….I swear to god, I'm gonna kill him if I see him again. Why the hell would you say yes to this?"

Hailey sighed. "Because if we act like we're cool, then we'll get back into their good graces. We need to nail these idiots. You know that's why we're here. We can't let them take advantage of another couple. Sure, I didn't expect to actually see them tonight, and yes, I had a quick flashback to the night before, but I am _good._ I promise. Please, you have to trust me on this."

Jay sighed, taking her hand. "Fine, but you'll have to take the lead on this one. I cannot say a word, because I can guarantee you, if he speaks to me, I'll deck him."

Hailey bit back a grin. "Fair enough, Jay. Fair enough." She squeezed his hand and pulled him back out to the table.

* * *

Trevor and Stacey had just arrived when they came back to Lacey and Drew. "Hey, look who it is!" Trevor exclaimed. Hailey and Jay nodded, but kept their expressions neutral. Thankfully, the waiter came over and took their orders.

"So, what were you guys chatting about?" Hailey asked. Jay forced himself to look interested.

"I was just telling Drew about our new business idea." Trevor started. "We're gonna host some more couples at our place like last night, only this time, we're gonna make sure the house sees the most green." Trevor winked, and Stacey smiled knowingly.

Jay looked over at Hailey, and Hailey knew what she needed to do. If they got this on tape, they'd be able to use it as evidence against them. So, while Jay readied his phone, Hailey played dumb. "What do you mean, exactly?"

Trevor devilishly grinned. "Oh, Heather. Come on now," he said, turning toward Jay. "Jake, dude, help me out here. Beautiful lady like that surely has to be smarter than this."

Jay clenched his jaw and made a fist under the table. Hailey instinctively put her hand around his to get him to simmer down a bit. He sighed, taking a long breath before speaking. "Babe," he started, looking over at Hailey and placing a kiss on her cheek. "You know…winner takes all mentality. House hits first, players hit back, the house hits even harder." He winked at her for good measure.

Hailey pretended to finally understand. "Ah, okay. Yeah, I get it." She said, nuzzling herself in Jay's arm.

"So," Trevor said, his tone a bit more serious. "You guys in?"

"Yeah, man, sure thing. Just give us the details." Jay said. He noted that Lacey and Drew also nodded their heads, waiting for more information.

Trevor and Stacey ran down the list of things to do for tomorrow night's event. Lacey, Drew, Hailey, and Jay all listened carefully to their plan. Drew and Lacey were in charge of getting people there; Jay was gonna help Trevor out with security; while Stacey and Hailey were on entertainment.

They ate their food, drank a little, and the rest of the evening seemed to go smoothly. Once the night was over, Jay and Hailey made their way back to their car.

"So, you think this is really gonna work?" Hailey asked him, looking at Jay from her passenger seat. Jay's eyes flitted to hers for a second from the driver's seat.

"I do, yeah. As long as we play it right. Once there's enough money made up, I'll get Trevor to keep it somewhere 'safe', but accessible. That way I can send photos to Voight. And then once you see them make a play for a couple, we'll blow the covers and call it. But they have to make contact, we can't just have their word, you know?"

Hailey nodded. "Yep, you got it. _We_ got this."


	5. Press Your Luck

When they went got back to their room, Hailey grabbed a shower while Jay called Voight.

"Voight."

Jay sighed, knowing he was going to get his ass handed to him for not calling him back yesterday. "It's me." He said cautiously.

"Yes, Jay I know it's you. What I _don't_ know is why the hell you didn't call me back last night. Did something happen?"

"Yeah, something did happen." Jay said, willing his voice not to break over the phone.

Jay filled Voight in on what happened last night, and what was going to go down tomorrow night.

"Alright. And you're positive he didn't actually hurt Upton?"

"Yes, she promised me."

"Good, good. Well, you call me as soon as it ends, okay? Anything goes sideways, you radio into local PD, got it? They'll loop us in, so don't you worry about that. Understood?"

"Yeah, you got it."

* * *

He hung up the phone just as he heard the shower turn off. He was in middle of changing when he heard a small crash in the bathroom.

He dropped his shirt and ran to the bathroom. "Hailey?!" He called out, making his way around to the showers. He heard a frustrated struggle escape her lips. "Ah, ow."

The fan wasn't on, so the bathroom was hot. Jay saw the mirrors and doors were fogged up, and he could feel the condensation on the towels.

"I'm good, I think…" She called to him from behind the first occupied shower.

His brows furrowed. "You think?" He asked her, grabbing her a towel and tossing it over the door.

"I uh, slipped on the soap. Stupid, I know. I'm just trying to get up, but I might have screwed up my ankle a bit."

He kept his eyes fixated on the tiled floor, not wanting to imagine her on the other side of that door. But just seconds later, his imagination became a reality when she lightly pushed open the door.

Jay immediately closed his eyes, waiting for her to tell him it was okay. When he heard her laughing, he knew it was okay. "What?" he asked.

She was wrapped up in her towel, her hair sticking to her skin due to it being wet from the shower. The bright white towel made the light honeyed hue of her skin positively glow.

"Sorry" she said, covering up her mouth to hide her laugh. "It's just, oh nevermind. Can you just help me out of here please?" He saw that same flicker from their first night out. Her eyes lit up, but not brighter, like usual. The baby blue swirled into a darker navy, and her eyes were searching his.

Jay cracked a smile. "Yeah, you got it." He too, found himself searching her, wanting to memorize this version of Hailey. In her rawest form, she was the most beautiful person he'd ever seen.

She tucked her hair behind her ear, moving her legs sideways slightly, so he could come in around her to help her up. She tried to steady herself on the small ledge while he got behind her to hook his hands around her arms. He did so, and slowly pulled her up so she could balance herself with her ankle.

"You good?" He whispered, his eyes locking with hers.

Hailey parted her lips, as if to say something, but then closed them just as quick. She snuck a glance at his currently unclothed upper body, before her eyes drifted back up to meet his. Jay couldn't help but smirk when he caught that.

"Yeah." She breathed, her voice barely audible. She bit her lip, looking up at him for a second longer than normal. Jay couldn't tear his eyes away from her either.

* * *

Before he could stop himself, Jay's lips crashed onto hers. Full of heat and passion, their kisses became more forceful and eager as the seconds ticked by. He backed her up to the wall, and Hailey hooked her legs around his waist, forgetting that she was the most vulnerable.

"Hailey…" Jay rasped, stopping for a moment to shed some more of his clothes. She ran her hands through his hair and down his chest, eliciting a groan from Jay.

"Jay, please…" she begged, gripping his shoulders. His lips made their way down her neck, pausing again before going further. He didn't want to push her too far. He didn't want to screw this up.

"You sure?" He whispered, his eyes softening.

"Yes, I've never been more sure of anything in my life." Hailey's eyes matched his own, and so he carefully resumed his position on her body.

Her towel was unhooked, and Jay explored her body, his eyes mapping out every inch, his hands tracing every curve. She nearly lost it when his mouth followed the pathway his hands left behind.

"God, Jay…" Hailey let a moan escape her lips as Jay's brushed against her skin. She felt the pressure building up in her body, and she knew she wasn't going to last long if she didn't get her release soon.

She bit her lip and, as much as she wanted him to keep going, pulled him up to face her again. "I can't wait, I need you, all of you. Now."

She watched as his eyes sparked, smirking as he picked her up and carried her back to their bedroom.

When he set her down on the bed, she pawed at him, wanting to please him as much as he did her. Her hands lingered on his chiseled abs, and when she got down further, she licked her lips in anticipation of what was to come.

"Mmm, Hailey. God, that feels great." Jay pulled her closer to him. She smiled against his chest.

They kissed once more before their bodies intertwined, letting all their pent-up feelings take over their minds. They were in sync in bed, just like with everything else, and they kept a slow, but steady rhythm, neither of them wanting the night to end.

* * *

Despite their best efforts, the morning came quicker than either of them wanted. Hailey groaned in frustration, rolling over to find Jay already awake, stroking her hair.

"Well hello to you too." He teased, smiling down at her.

Her expression softened. "Hey yourself." She placed a quick kiss on his lips.

She sighed, leaning against his chest. "Jay…last night was–"

Jay interrupted, filling in the blanks: "Amazing? Fantastic? What, did I miss something?"

Hailey grinned, her hand making circles on his skin. "Yeah, that."

As if reading her mind, he added. "I have no regrets, Hailey. Last night was one of the best nights of my life. I need to have you, and not just in the physical way, I mean, I need you in my life. I need you as more than my partner, more than I've needed anyone else. I want you, to be with me."

Hailey smiled at him, kissing him again. "No regrets. And Jay, I need and want you too. More than you know. I–, I think I'm falling in love with you." She admitted, sheepishly looking away.

Jay pulled her face towards his. "I love you too, Hailey. God, I've always loved you." He brought his lips to hers, kissing her hard and fast, wrapping his arms around her.

"Jay," she said, breathless. "We have to get going…." She tried, as he continued peppering kisses down her neck.

"Oh no. Work can wait. I have you all to myself, and that's how I plan to keep it." He said, winking at her.

She laughed before kissing him again. "Whatever you say, Halstead."


	6. The Takedown

"Jay, have you seen my mic anywhere?" Hailey called to him from the bedroom. She had been ruffling through her suitcase for the past 5 minutes trying to find it.

"Yeah, I got it with mine." He said, coming out of the bathroom, still wrapped in a towel. Hailey sighed, her eyes roaming over his shower-clad appearance. Being reminded of last night was _not_ where her focus needed to be. But when he came behind her and wrapped his arms around her, playfully handing her the mic, she couldn't help but crane her head around to kiss him.

"Mm, Hailey," Jay started, pausing mid-kiss. "We" she didn't let him get another word out as she cupped his jaw. "Need" he tried again. _Nope_. "To" He still responded to her touch. "**Go**." He practically growled out the last word.

It was her turn to pause now. She looked up at him, pouting slightly, but knew he was right. They had to finish getting changed so they could go get in place for the last phase of their op. "Fine." She said, giving him one last kiss.

He smiled at her. "But don't think we won't pick up where we left off later." He winked, walking over to his dresser to get his clothes.

"Oh, you can bet on it." Hailey retorted, winking back.

* * *

An hour later, they were both inside the 105 getting everything set up with Trevor and Stacey. Jay told Trevor he was going to check the security camera outside, but _really_ he set up one just inside the doorway, facing the room. While Stacey was shuffling cards, Hailey made sure to record the ones Stacey thought she wouldn't notice her taking out to make sure she won each round that would be played tonight.

Once Stacey was done shuffling the hijacked decks, Hailey put in the decoy money into the pot to start it off. Before they knew it, people had started rolling into the game night, including Drew and Lacey, who already seemed hammered as they stumbled inside.

"Heyyyyy guyssss" Lacey slurred. Drew hung off of her arm, looking equally as trashed. He gave them a mangled peace sign greeting.

Hailey pulled Jay from the door to come meet up with Drew, Lacey, Trevor and Stacey.

"Hi guys, you wanna join our first game?" Hailey asked, dangling the bag for their bets in front of them.

Lacey and drew nodded. They clumsily rifled through their pockets, pulling out $200 in change and tossing it into the bag. Hailey shook it around, making sure the tracker she had attached to the bottom of the bag was still hidden.

"Nice, you guys just brought it up to 5,000. Perfect for a first go around." She motioned for drew and Lacey to follow her over to the card table. She and Stacey got them set up, while Jay watched Trevor like a hawk.

Trevor was pacing, never tearing his eyes away from the cards in Drew and Lacey's hands. Jay noticed Stacey give Trevor a nod, and he finally stopped moving, seeming relaxed.

A second later, they hit 21 and Stacey raked back in all the earnings from the table. Drew and Lacey were bummed, but still wanting to try their luck, put in another couple thousand on the next one.

Another round, another hit over 21, and Drew was banging his hands against the table in frustration. Jay cautiously watched as Hailey jumped a little at the sound, which echoed throughout the thinly walled room.

He decided to go over to her and placed his hand protectively on her shoulder, letting her know he was right there with her. She brought his hand up to her lips and kissed it gently, her blue eyes shining brightly at him. He gave her a small smile back.

* * *

"God dammit! That's the third time!" Drew yelled, tossing the chips across the table. "What the hell's going on here?" He questioned, eyes bloodshot and angered.

Lacey pulled him down, but he shook her off, standing up and getting in Stacey's face.

"Take it easy man," Jay tried, hoping Drew wouldn't do something stupid.

"Shut up!" He yelled, raging with every word.

Trevor had come up to where Stacey was, yanking Drew up by the collar.

"You and your drunk ass wife had better pull it together or I swear to god you will regret it."

Drew spat at him, and Trevor shoved him away. Before anyone could react, he brandished a gun, pointing it straight at Drew's face.

"Oh my god!" Lacey screamed, cowering behind her boyfriend.

Jay noticed that although Trevor looked calm, his hand was shaking. Maybe he could deescalate the situation without having to pull out his own gun that was hidden in the back of his jeans. He looked to Hailey, who had her hand behind her, and he knew she was more than ready to draw.

His eyes locked with hers, shaking his head like he did with the Aiden case back in Chicago. Her eyes reflected the same notion as back then, and she dropped her hand back at her side.

Jay tentatively took a step forward. "Look Trevor let's just-"

That was all he got out before he saw that he was now staring down the barrel of the gun in Trevor's hand.

"I SAID SHUT UP. EVERYBODY SHUT THE HELL UP!"

* * *

Jay saw Hailey gripping her weapon at her side out of his peripherals. When he heard Trevor cock the trigger, he knew Hailey would raise her own gun.

"DROP THAT GUN TREVOR!" She shouted.

"What the-" she heard him start to say.

"CHICAGO PD. DROP IT OR YOU WILL LIVE TO REGRET IT."

He started laughing. "Wait? You're serious? Oh, this is too good. I knew there was something off about you!"

"TREVOR I'M NOT GONNA TELL YOU AGAIN. PUT THE GUN ON THE GROUND, NOW!"

She saw him shift his weight slightly, looking from her to Jay.

"Damn, that makes sense now. No wonder you resisted me a couple nights ago. Most girls I did would've just given it up right then. But not you...you fought it, but I could tell you were losing control..."

"Shut up." Hailey said, though apparently not loud enough for Trevor to hear.

"How'd you like to know that Jake, huh? How much of a whore your wife is..."

Jay's fists clenched and he gritted his teeth. "You son of a bitch."

He almost took a step forward, but Trevor readied his finger on the trigger. "Ah ah ah, I wouldn't."

"I would." Hailey said, making Trevor glance over at her, long enough so that she got off a shot to bring him down, but not before he fired off one shot too.

The gun went off, and Hailey braced herself for impact. But a second later, when she didn't falter, she realized the shot didn't go to her. _Oh no_.

"Jay!" She cried, running over to her partner on the floor. Jay was clutching his chest just below his shoulder.

"I'm okay, Hailey I'm okay. Just get Mills." Jay said, his voice soft and raspy.

Hailey nodded, whipping her gun back around to Trevor, only to see him back up, with the gun trained on her. _Shit_.

"You bitch. You think you won? Sorry sweetheart, I'm the only one to who gets to say game over."

Hailey's eyes were wide, and she didn't move from where she was around Jay. The way she was sitting shielded him, but didn't exactly give her a way out. She felt him grip her arm, but forced her eyes to be only on Trevor.

"Just put the gun down, and you **can** walk away Trevor." She tried to say calmly.

He shook his head furiously. "Uh uh, no way. You're lying!" He yelled, finger reaching for the trigger.

Luckily Hailey was quicker on the draw, landing a straight shot into Trevor's chest, making him completely topple over. He coughed, gagging on the blood that was coming up. Satisfied that he was done for, Hailey whirled around to Jay, who was still holding his hand over his own gunshot wound.

Hailey quickly went to work, undoing his shirt and ripping open the pocket of the vest where the bullet went into. "Oh thank god. It's okay, you're okay. It didn't go through, it didn't go through."

She cupped his cheek, and he reached up to stroke her hair. "Couldn't let my wife have all the fun." He said, coughing slightly, his eyes glazing a little.

Hailey drew in a sharp breath at his words. "Okay, you're losing it, _husband_. Let's get you up and to the hospital okay? I'm gonna call local PD to come take care of these idiots...because _I _have to take care of this one." She told him, laughing.

Jay smiled at her. "Very funny, Hails."

"Oh, you know you love me."

His smile dropped, his expression suddenly more serious. "Yes, I do Hailey."

She couldn't help but let a tear escape her already watery eyes.

"I love you too, Jay."


End file.
